Situation in Chechnya gets more intense before electionsRuslan Isayev, North Caucasus - With the approach of the Kremlin-staged presidential election in Chechnya, it becomes clear that it will take place under very difficult circumstances.
Soldiers and police officers are becoming more active; on the other hand, very few people can be seen walking the streets of the Chechen capital. Rumors that the guerrillas will start military actions have been circulating throughout Chechnya.
Police sentinels with armored vehicles patrol almost all principal roads, and every car entering or leaving a village is checked.
People say the guerrillas are already present in Grozny and that at night they set up checkpoints to check documents. Until now people with police ID cards could safely and freely move about Chechnya. However, very few people now display these IDs as the chance they might run into guerrillas pretending to be police officers is too great.
Some inhabitants of Grozny are leaving the city as they fear that military operations may start at any moment. But those who stay do not move around very much since Russian soldiers and Chechen police patrol the streets during the night. All important bureaus work in a special operating mode and all strategic facilities in Chechnya are under strengthened control.
(S/E,T)
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